Disney's Club Level (CL) Information & Questions

[gottalovepluto]

FYI, if of any interest to you, last year they had a Photopass photographer at the tree in the lobby during much of the day. They weren't there all the time, but seemed to be quite a bit. We were prepared to beg someone to take our photo with our camera but having the Photopass photographer there with better equipment/lighting was a big bonus!

Have fun!

Don't know if WL will do this but when I stayed CL at Disneyland's Grand CA we asked one of the CL concierges to come take a picture of our family by the tree on our last day and they were happy to do so. No begging CMs or rushing our photos because the random person we asked needed to be on their way

 

[gottalovepluto]

So not specifically club level related, but thought one of you would know

I put my initial $200 down for our stay at AKL CL in December. I know the website only allows 2 forms of payment and I would normally like every trip before this just pay it off with the same Credit Card, but now that I'm a Sams Club member I thought I'd do the gift card payment to save some money!

Am I correct in that I'll pick 1 "master" gift card. Load everything onto it up to $1000, make a payment, load more back onto that same gift card up to $1000, make a payment, repeat till paid off?

Thanks in advance!

I would NOT do that! Yes to loading a card up to $1000 and making a payment but then take a new card and load it up for your next $1000 payment and repeat as necessary. If something happens and you cancel your trip the money will be refunded to the gift card(s) you used to pay for the trip with, if the refund is over $1,000 you could have some real headaches trying to get Disney to issue you new gift cards as your original gift card wouldn't be able to hold more than $1,000. So keep the gift card you make the payment with and mark which payment was made with it. That way if you do cancel it will be a lot smoother.

 

[Simba's Girl]

We've had to pay the extra adult fee a couple of times. And this november, both kids will be over 18...

All 3 of mine have Fall B-Days...sigh.

I can only hope that maybe someday they'll take us to Disney? LOL

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Could be. The other two cordials I usually see out are Amarula and cognac.

I've only seen the Amarula (no baileys), which IMO is a bit like Baileys, though also a little bit unique.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I but now that I'm a Sams Club member I thought I'd do the gift card payment to save some money!

Am I correct in that I'll pick 1 "master" gift card. Load everything onto it up to $1000, make a payment, load more back onto that same gift card up to $1000, make a payment, repeat till paid off?

Thanks in advance!

I agree with pp, if you need to cancel, your money goes back to the giftcard you used.

Previously, if I paid with gift cards, I just called WDW and read off all the numbers. It takes a little while, but is faster than trying to load them vie the website, and IMO was generally worthwhile.

Giftcards are also a bit like carrying cash if you lose them, but I still often use a few while we are at WDW. As I use them, I keep track of balance either by writing on them with a mini sharpie or wrap the most recent receipt around the card (it has balance on it).

When using to pay for a room, I also mark used cards with an x and the date, but do not throw them out until after the trip.

That said, when I recently called WDW, the wait-time was almost an hour to talk to a live CM! And that was AFTER going through the stupid phone tree.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

FYI, if of any interest to you, last year they had a Photopass photographer at the tree in the lobby during much of the day. They weren't there all the time, but seemed to be quite a bit. We were prepared to beg someone to take our photo with our camera but having the Photopass photographer there with better equipment/lighting was a big bonus!

Have fun!

When last we went to WDW near the holidays, both GF and WL had Photopass photographers in the lobby by the tree. The WL Photopass person was there well into evening.

Partly we noticed the GF CM because there was a line.

ALSO, our favorite photo was one the CM took using our phone in the "panoramic" setting. In that setting, the photographer can move the camera slowly and capture a panorama. In this case, the CM was able to capture the whole tree in one photo, but the pictures they took with their camera didn't include the whole tree. Also, if you want a paper print, you have to order the larger size, and good luck finding a frame.

 

[Somnia]

I would NOT do that! Yes to loading a card up to $1000 and making a payment but then take a new card and load it up for your next $1000 payment and repeat as necessary. If something happens and you cancel your trip the money will be refunded to the gift card(s) you used to pay for the trip with, if the refund is over $1,000 you could have some real headaches trying to get Disney to issue you new gift cards as your original gift card wouldn't be able to hold more than $1,000. So keep the gift card you make the payment with and mark which payment was made with it. That way if you do cancel it will be a lot smoother.

I agree with pp, if you need to cancel, your money goes back to the giftcard you used.

Previously, if I paid with gift cards, I just called WDW and read off all the numbers. It takes a little while, but is faster than trying to load them vie the website, and IMO was generally worthwhile.

Giftcards are also a bit like carrying cash if you lose them, but I still often use a few while we are at WDW. As I use them, I keep track of balance either by writing on them with a mini sharpie or wrap the most recent receipt around the card (it has balance on it).

When using to pay for a room, I also mark used cards with an x and the date, but do not throw them out until after the trip.

That said, when I recently called WDW, the wait-time was almost an hour to talk to a live CM! And that was AFTER going through the stupid phone tree.

So load up 7 different cards to $1000 and then call it in would be ideal? I didn't think about calling it in

 

[petrola]

Hi All - we are planning a trip for next April (spring break) and traveling with another family. In total there will be 4 children - ages 8 (2), 6 and 3. While I loved our recent stay at BC, both families have stayed in the Epcot area the last few trips. My husband is adamant about NOT staying at an Epcot resort this time and trying something new. So that brings me to my question - and any / all opinions will be greatly appreciated. We have narrowed it down to Wilderness Lodge CL and AKL CL and wondering which would be the better choice given our group?

I love the idea of taking the boat to MK, but also love the idea of seeing Animals from your balcony! My only concern with AKL is that the CL rooms are sort of spread out and we may be far from the lounge and/or each other room wise?
Also, we would like to have an adults dinner out and reserve the kids club one evening. I've read that Wilderness Lodge no longer has a kids club, but there is one at AKL? If this is still true, has anyone used the kids club at AKL? If so, did your children have a positive experience? Thank you in advance!!

 

[vikster1]

I've only seen the Amarula (no baileys), which IMO is a bit like Baileys, though also a little bit unique.

Unique yes. I'm still not sure how I felt about, even though I had several little glasses throughout my stay. lol

 

[gottalovepluto]

So load up 7 different cards to $1000 and then call it in would be ideal? I didn't think about calling it in

Yes to loading up the different cards like that (idk about calling it in, I just call it in to my TA).

 

[jods]

Hi All - we are planning a trip for next April (spring break) and traveling with another family. In total there will be 4 children - ages 8 (2), 6 and 3. While I loved our recent stay at BC, both families have stayed in the Epcot area the last few trips. My husband is adamant about NOT staying at an Epcot resort this time and trying something new. So that brings me to my question - and any / all opinions will be greatly appreciated. We have narrowed it down to Wilderness Lodge CL and AKL CL and wondering which would be the better choice given our group?

I love the idea of taking the boat to MK, but also love the idea of seeing Animals from your balcony! My only concern with AKL is that the CL rooms are sort of spread out and we may be far from the lounge and/or each other room wise? Any thoughts? Thank you!!

I've only stayed WL, non club level. The resort was warm and peaceful. The club lounge has great reviews. I would choose that if you're main focus is Mk. The boat ride was so peaceful. They have a nice splash/pool area for the little ones.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Hi All - we are planning a trip for next April (spring break) and traveling with another family. In total there will be 4 children - ages 8 (2), 6 and 3. While I loved our recent stay at BC, both families have stayed in the Epcot area the last few trips. My husband is adamant about NOT staying at an Epcot resort this time and trying something new. So that brings me to my question - and any / all opinions will be greatly appreciated. We have narrowed it down to Wilderness Lodge CL and AKL CL and wondering which would be the better choice given our group?

I love the idea of taking the boat to MK, but also love the idea of seeing Animals from your balcony! My only concern with AKL is that the CL rooms are sort of spread out and we may be far from the lounge and/or each other room wise? Any thoughts? Thank you!!

Animals are awesome and AKL is a beautiful resort. I stayed there for 2 nights and while I'd stay again for a couple days while doing AKL I would not do a whole trip there because the buses. I timed the bus we took from MK to AKL after MVMCP- 25 mins (not including waiting time for the bus). And there was not traffic at midnight. Never. Again. (We ubered earlier in the afternoon after seeing a bus depart to MK with people packed together like sardines! They looked so miserable.) So, if MK access is important to you I'd do WL (I'm assuming it is given your kids ages).

 

[pangyal]

I'm not an expert regarding CL at the AKL. While I think you are correct most are on the 4th floors, I've read a few reports about guests being on the 5th floor. Maybe accessible rooms? Also, I think they are spread all over the 4th floor and that you could be far away from the lounge/pool (I've read about 5-10 minutes for the worst rooms).

PS : I'm also documenting myself as we're also heading there

Fifth floor is DVC

 

[GADisneyDad14]

AKL CL questions:

I know that all CL rooms are 4th floor, on the Arusha Savanna, and somewhat centralized, but are there any room requests that you would recommend making? Perhaps near elevators or near the lobby? I'm not sure just how spread out these rooms are on the 4th floor.

We have one very early morning planned and will be leaving by 7:00am for HS to get in line for Jedi Training. On the day before, can we take breakfast food back to our room to save for our early morning? Does the lounge provide containers to save food in, or should I bring something? Not sure if this would be frowned upon.

This is my first post! Forgive me if these topics have already been covered. I've tried reading through a lot of this forum, but there is A LOT! Hubby and I will be staying first week of December with our two animal loving boys! (5 and 8). Thanks for the help!

I'm bumping your post, maybe someone can give you some input on room requests. I have not stayed AKL CL but from what I've read over time I think my main/only request would be "close to the lounge" as I do think some can be pretty far. But I'm just not totally sure having not been there myself.

As to taking food back to the room... again, I can't speak to AKL CL but at the other CLs I've been to people do this all of the time. Some even have trays. If you're going to stash some food away for your early morning, I'd probably recomend bringing a big ziplock back or something like that, just to help transport/store items.

Hope that helps and hope you have a great trip. We've done two trips right after Thanksviging/into that first week of Dec and enjoyed that time at WDW quite a bit.

Have fun!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi All - we are planning a trip for next April (spring break) and traveling with another family. In total there will be 4 children - ages 8 (2), 6 and 3. While I loved our recent stay at BC, both families have stayed in the Epcot area the last few trips. My husband is adamant about NOT staying at an Epcot resort this time and trying something new. So that brings me to my question - and any / all opinions will be greatly appreciated. We have narrowed it down to Wilderness Lodge CL and AKL CL and wondering which would be the better choice given our group?

I love the idea of taking the boat to MK, but also love the idea of seeing Animals from your balcony! My only concern with AKL is that the CL rooms are sort of spread out and we may be far from the lounge and/or each other room wise?
Also, we would like to have an adults dinner out and reserve the kids club one evening. I've read that Wilderness Lodge no longer has a kids club, but there is one at AKL? If this is still true, has anyone used the kids club at AKL? If so, did your children have a positive experience? Thank you in advance!!

Trip planning... FUN! I have stayed WL, but not AKL, so only half qualified to respond here. But in typical DIS fashion I will anyway. (Sorry!)

Some random thoughts/observations:

• My one nit with WL is the size of the rooms - we just feel on top of each other there (spoiled by the bigger monorail resort rooms). But AK has similarly small rooms I believe, so it's probably a push in that regard.
• WL CL rooms have dormer balconies. Some people do not like them because they are small, enclosed, and don't let in as much light. Personal preference though.
• At WL CL, your two rooms would definitely be close together. The CL floor is quaint/cozy. I personally think it's an ideal setup for a group with two rooms because the room/lounge arrangement is pretty compact. The nice lounge does make up for the small room.
• The boat to MK is great, as is the boat to FW/CR - it really expands your amenity and dining options beyond just WL.
• Yes, the WL kids club closed for the DVC work and appears to not be reopening. There is one at AKL. You may know this but any resort guest can use any kids club, you don't have to be staying at that resort. The closest one to WL is the one at Poly.

To me these kinds of decisions tend to come down to what works best for our touring style/park/transportation preferences. This is one of the reasons we haven't done AKL yet, just haven't found the right trip where I've been ok with being 100% bus dependent. It's definitely on the list though, hopefully some day!

Good luck deciding!

 

[TinkerBellLiz]

AKL CL questions:

I know that all CL rooms are 4th floor, on the Arusha Savanna, and somewhat centralized, but are there any room requests that you would recommend making? Perhaps near elevators or near the lobby? I'm not sure just how spread out these rooms are on the 4th floor.

We have one very early morning planned and will be leaving by 7:00am for HS to get in line for Jedi Training. On the day before, can we take breakfast food back to our room to save for our early morning? Does the lounge provide containers to save food in, or should I bring something? Not sure if this would be frowned upon.

This is my first post! Forgive me if these topics have already been covered. I've tried reading through a lot of this forum, but there is A LOT! Hubby and I will be staying first week of December with our two animal loving boys! (5 and 8). Thanks for the help!

Club Level standard rooms are on the 4th floor and I'm not sure where the suites are located. My room request when we stayed there was close to lobby. Those hallways can get pretty long (and confusing if you're directionally challenged like me!)

We've taken snacks back to the room and put them in the fridge for later on. My first purchase is usually a prepackaged container of Zebra Domes from The Mara. There wasn't a way to heat anything up when we stayed so that limits some of the things you want to keep. Also if I'm not mistaken, there should be some stuff out by 7 am if you wanted to do a "grab and go" on your way out.

I think you'll love AKL and AKL Club Level is one of our favorites! Enjoy your stay.

 

[mickeynut1]

AKL CL questions:

I know that all CL rooms are 4th floor, on the Arusha Savanna, and somewhat centralized, but are there any room requests that you would recommend making? Perhaps near elevators or near the lobby? I'm not sure just how spread out these rooms are on the 4th floor.

We have one very early morning planned and will be leaving by 7:00am for HS to get in line for Jedi Training. On the day before, can we take breakfast food back to our room to save for our early morning? Does the lounge provide containers to save food in, or should I bring something? Not sure if this would be frowned upon.

This is my first post! Forgive me if these topics have already been covered. I've tried reading through a lot of this forum, but there is A LOT! Hubby and I will be staying first week of December with our two animal loving boys! (5 and 8). Thanks for the help!

I can't help with room suggestions, but you can take food from the lounge for breakfast the next day. I don't know if any containers are available for guests to use, so I would take a few of your own so you have something. Have a great trip .

Yep, you're a guest of the WDW resort the day of your check-in and full day of check-out, which includes access to all CL amenities. You'll be free to use the lounge as soon as you arrive. We commonly arrive before we expect our room to be ready so do this often.

Have fun!

ETA - Don't feel the need to apologize for asking any questions. Some of these threads, including this one, are monsters and nearly impossible to find things when searching. Ask away!

I would NOT do that! Yes to loading a card up to $1000 and making a payment but then take a new card and load it up for your next $1000 payment and repeat as necessary. If something happens and you cancel your trip the money will be refunded to the gift card(s) you used to pay for the trip with, if the refund is over $1,000 you could have some real headaches trying to get Disney to issue you new gift cards as your original gift card wouldn't be able to hold more than $1,000. So keep the gift card you make the payment with and mark which payment was made with it. That way if you do cancel it will be a lot smoother.

Very good point about the refund. If you cancel, it could be a big mess if you load the same card several times. I agree that I'd get a few cards instead of re-loading just one .

So load up 7 different cards to $1000 and then call it in would be ideal? I didn't think about calling it in

Unless it's changed, making payments can be done by phone through an automated system. You can talk to a CM if you want, but doing it through the automated system is usually faster with no waiting to get a CM .

Hi All - we are planning a trip for next April (spring break) and traveling with another family. In total there will be 4 children - ages 8 (2), 6 and 3. While I loved our recent stay at BC, both families have stayed in the Epcot area the last few trips. My husband is adamant about NOT staying at an Epcot resort this time and trying something new. So that brings me to my question - and any / all opinions will be greatly appreciated. We have narrowed it down to Wilderness Lodge CL and AKL CL and wondering which would be the better choice given our group?

I love the idea of taking the boat to MK, but also love the idea of seeing Animals from your balcony! My only concern with AKL is that the CL rooms are sort of spread out and we may be far from the lounge and/or each other room wise?
Also, we would like to have an adults dinner out and reserve the kids club one evening. I've read that Wilderness Lodge no longer has a kids club, but there is one at AKL? If this is still true, has anyone used the kids club at AKL? If so, did your children have a positive experience? Thank you in advance!!

We've stayed at both resorts and love both for different reasons. We loved WL CL and while I can't help with CL at AKL as we haven't tried it yet, it gets great reviews. If you will be spending a lot of time at MK, WL is a good choice as it's very convenient via bus or boat. With that said, we've never had a problem with the buses at AKL and have always found them to be very efficient. I don't think you can go wrong with either resort as they are both great. Good luck and happy planning .

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

AKL CL questions:

I know that all CL rooms are 4th floor, on the Arusha Savanna, and somewhat centralized, but are there any room requests that you would recommend making? Perhaps near elevators or near the lobby? I'm not sure just how spread out these rooms are on the 4th floor.

We have one very early morning planned and will be leaving by 7:00am for HS to get in line for Jedi Training. On the day before, can we take breakfast food back to our room to save for our early morning? Does the lounge provide containers to save food in, or should I bring something? Not sure if this would be frowned upon.

This is my first post! Forgive me if these topics have already been covered. I've tried reading through a lot of this forum, but there is A LOT! Hubby and I will be staying first week of December with our two animal loving boys! (5 and 8). Thanks for the help!

As we have never stayed at the AKL - both at the BWI and at the CR - the CMs went out of their way to give us food to go when needed. When we were staying at the BWI we were volunteering at Give Kids the World and had an early shift - we had to be there at 7:15am - once we went in at 6:30am and they gave us some food to go - and one time when we remembered the day before - we took yogurts, bagels and fruit to our room for the next morning. The CR did the same for us.

Talk to one of the CMs in advance and ask what is the best way to get breakfast for that morning.
Enjoy - AKL CL is the last CL that we have to try.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Hi All - we are planning a trip for next April (spring break) and traveling with another family. In total there will be 4 children - ages 8 (2), 6 and 3. While I loved our recent stay at BC, both families have stayed in the Epcot area the last few trips. My husband is adamant about NOT staying at an Epcot resort this time and trying something new. So that brings me to my question - and any / all opinions will be greatly appreciated. We have narrowed it down to Wilderness Lodge CL and AKL CL and wondering which would be the better choice given our group?

I love the idea of taking the boat to MK, but also love the idea of seeing Animals from your balcony! My only concern with AKL is that the CL rooms are sort of spread out and we may be far from the lounge and/or each other room wise?
Also, we would like to have an adults dinner out and reserve the kids club one evening. I've read that Wilderness Lodge no longer has a kids club, but there is one at AKL? If this is still true, has anyone used the kids club at AKL? If so, did your children have a positive experience? Thank you in advance!!

It is truly a hard decision. As PPs have said - being completely bus dependent is what has stopped us from staying at the AKL. Especially since our families goes to MK several times on our trips - that is a long bus ride. I would do AKL as a split stay - maybe 2 nights.

We loved WL CL when we stayed there and that was before the new lounge. We stayed in a deluxe room so it was a great size with a big balcony. I like the idea of the boat to MK. We never used the kids clubs but since you can use any of them - pick the hotel you want to go to dinner at and use the kids club nearest to the restaurant.

Enjoy.

 

[MinMou]

Hi All - we are planning a trip for next April (spring break) and traveling with another family. In total there will be 4 children - ages 8 (2), 6 and 3. While I loved our recent stay at BC, both families have stayed in the Epcot area the last few trips. My husband is adamant about NOT staying at an Epcot resort this time and trying something new. So that brings me to my question - and any / all opinions will be greatly appreciated. We have narrowed it down to Wilderness Lodge CL and AKL CL and wondering which would be the better choice given our group?

I love the idea of taking the boat to MK, but also love the idea of seeing Animals from your balcony! My only concern with AKL is that the CL rooms are sort of spread out and we may be far from the lounge and/or each other room wise?
Also, we would like to have an adults dinner out and reserve the kids club one evening. I've read that Wilderness Lodge no longer has a kids club, but there is one at AKL? If this is still true, has anyone used the kids club at AKL? If so, did your children have a positive experience? Thank you in advance!!

I have one friend who refuses to stay at the AKL, because balloons are not allowed. At least that's what she said - I can't find anything online that confirms that. I do know that there are no balloons in the AK park, because they could bother the animals, so it quite possible. Something to consider if one of your children really likes balloons.